Oct 11, 2010: Olde Brits
 

Some people, like myself, are intrigued by old photographs, often as not for the details in the background, rather than the principle subject. Blogger Steerforth, at The Age of Uncertainty is rather passionate about them.
I doubt this couple is in their 60s, but that could be a grandchild. Life wasn't easy witout Botox.

http://cellar.org/2010/oldebrits.jpg

They were probably very nice people, a loving family, but day-em.
No wonder the Brits managed to build an Empire... by terrifying the natives into submission. :speechls:

I love the way the woman's block-shaped head is made to look even worse, by that OMG awful hair style. :eyebrow:

No comment on Grandpa - he's clearly died, been brought back to life, and is now scaring everybody he meets, in his new role, as a Zombie. :eek:

I haven't seen an image of a more aesthetically challenged couple Yikes!

Why would the photographer leave out the family dog....
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Cujo?


And who's the guy in the shawl? :p:

I suspect he was admonished not to move and is holding his breath not being familiar or comfortable with the camera.

She spent all her time doing the kid's hair.

Are we certain that man isn't dead? I think they used to photograph a lot of people post-mortem and pose them as if they weren't all dead and stuff.

He looks furious.

Actually, that's what I was thinking about the child. You had to stay very, very still to be clear in photos back then and look at the child's face, it's very clear. Also look at the crispness of the cheeks and ears against the man's jacket. Even the eyes are in focus! Meaning the child didn't move his eyes at all. And compare that to the woman, who is slightly blurry, and you can't even see her eyes. I think the child is dead, and perhaps the man.

ETA: Does anyone else think the woman looks a little like Robin Williams?

A couple more pictures on this page about post-mortem photography.

link:

http://socyberty.com/paranormal/phot...ho-look-alive/

There are some good pics here, too:

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/32946

That's a hobby I want to take up.

:lol:

Mrs Deadfire.

wow. Lurch's great-grandfather!

I just hope the happy couple and their little one would stop looking so silly and get serious for a change.:D
Mrs deadfire. Good one Shawnee.

each night father fills me with dread
as he sits at the foot of my bed
I'd not mind that he speaks
in gibbers and squeaks
but for seventeen years he's been dead
(e. gorey)

After this picture was taken, they ate the photographers' brain.

Some interesting portraits here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/ga...ture=333325401

I took this picture about an hour after my mother died. I felt my mother's body was like the boat that had made the voyage and lay broken on the beach, no longer needed as the passenger had made it home.

speechless

Here's that little boy all grown up

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image..._dawson203.jpg

This is a photo of the Stein Family. There's Martha, little Billy, and Frank N.

Beautiful thought, Chris.

Some one took the time to do a nice collection on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07hNTSNDzaE

and here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3LmK...eature=related

One thing to remember is that in this period of history many children of all ages died from natural causes that are easily treatable today such as viruses and other common diseases. This would most likely account for the fact that many of them in these images show little or no signs of decomposition. It was not uncommon in those times to keep the recently deceased on ice in the parlor for family and friends to view before the funeral, the term "living room" comes from that time when a type of parlor was created that was not used for the dead.

Think about today and how so many children you might hear about on your local news dying, do so in a violent manner like a car wreck or physical abuse or some other kind of accident.

One other thought is that today most families who have a typical western style funeral often have an open casket viewing which would be a similar way to remember those that have passed away.

A distant in-law of mine twice had still-born births. She knew the fetuses were dead weeks before her due date, but had to carry them full term. When they were born, her husband had newborn portraits taken, and those pictures are on the mantle alongside pictures of their 2 surviving children.

A more recent development, re-animation of Vice Presidents using microchip technology. Here's Al Gore's post mortem photo being posed.

That's exactly what I thought - judging by the look on his face, yes:)

I haven't been on this website that long, but this picture will probably always be my favorite. (In fact, it was this pic, how I found this website, through a fellow member here) Tough one to beat. Very interesting and it provokes a lot of wonder, who that family was and whether they survived the black plague :-)